I'll Go and be a Sodger by Robert Burns
The speaker rejects gloomy foreboding and resolves to become a sodger, trusting in his youth and physical strength. Though he once gained possessions through great care and kept them together well, he has now lost them and more besides; this loss strengthens his decision to leave his troubles behind and enlist.
By Robert Burns · First published 1808 · Genre: Lyric Poetry, Scots Poetry, Military Poetry · 81 words
First lines
O why the deuce should I repine, / And be an ill foreboder? / I'm twenty-three, and five feet nine, / I'll go and be a sodger!
I gat some gear wi' mickle care, / I held it weel thegither; / But now it's gane, and something mair- / I'll go and be a sodger!
What this Textopian page supports
I'll Go and be a Sodger is listed on Textopian as a poem by Robert Burns, dated 1808 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Robert Burns
- Date: 1808 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Lyric Poetry, Scots Poetry, Military Poetry, Folk Song, Comic Poetry
- Length: 81 words
- Structure: 1 section, 2 paragraphs
Good citation fit
- Work identity for I'll Go and be a Sodger by Robert Burns
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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Genres
- Lyric Poetry — The work is a short, first-person verse lyric expressing an immediate personal response to loss and uncertainty.
- Scots Poetry — Burns writes substantially in Scots dialect, using forms such as 'wi'', 'mickle,' 'gane,' and 'sodger.'
- Military Poetry — Its repeated declaration that the speaker will become a soldier makes enlistment and military life its central subject.
- Folk Song — The compact stanzas, colloquial voice, repeated refrain-like closing line, and vernacular diction give it the character of a traditional song.
Tags
Scottish vernacular poetry · lyric poem · military enlistment · soldier's resolve · youthful confidence · physical strength · financial loss · lost possessions · poverty · resilience · defiance · self-reliance